DOCSLIB.ORG

Divine Wisdom and Warning

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Divine Wisdom and Warning Divine Wisdom and Warning Decoded Messages from God Nicholas Gura Hamilton Books An Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK Copyright © 2011 by Nicholas Gura First published in 2015 by Hamilton Books 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 Hamilton Books Acquisitions Department (301) 459-3366 Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB, United Kingdom All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Control Number: 2015932571 ISBN: 978-0-7618-6572-8 (pbk : alk. paper)—ISBN: 978-0-7618-6573-5 (electronic) Cover art by Catherine Gura TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. To my two heroes the Honorable Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Beate Klarsfeld Contents Acknowledgments vii I: Divine Messages: Real or Random? 1 1 The Discovery 3 2 Gematria: God’s Math or Numerical Coincidence? 11 II: Divine Wisdom and Warning for Timeless Questions and Mysteries 19 3 Why Are We Here? Why Does the World Exist? 21 4 Who Wrote the Bible? Is the Bible Really True? 35 5 Was Jesus Actually a Messenger of God? 51 6 What Is God’s True Religion? 61 7 Do We Really Have Free Will? 69 8 What Are the Minimum Requirements for Entry into Heaven? And What Happens after Death? 79 9 Suffering: Is It Divine Punishment? 91 III: Divine Wisdom and Warning Regarding Science 95 10 Do Science and the Bible Conflict? 97 11 The Environment: Heal It or Ignore It? 107 12 The Mystery of Quantum Theory Revealed 117 13 Did the Biblical Miracle of the “Parting of the Sea” Actually Occur? 125 v vi Contents IV: Divine Wisdom and Warning for Major Concepts, Issues, and Events 137 14 Was 9/11 a Random Date or Preordained? 139 15 What Is the Lesson of the Holocaust? 149 16 Peace: Make It or Cry Out 161 17 What Does Zion Represent? 171 18 Anti-Semitism: Is It Hatred of Jews or of God Himself? 181 19 Where Are the Greats of the Generation? 191 20 A Curse upon Corruption 197 V: Divine Wisdom and Coaching for a Great Life 203 21 Feed the Hungry 205 22 Honor Mothers . but Not Daughters? 213 Epilogue: What Does God Say about Gematria? 219 Index 221 Acknowledgments I want to thank my wife, Catherine, for her many contributions to this book, including her original painting for the cover, editing, interpretations of the material, myriad suggestions, and her support. I would also like to thank Marilyn Horowitz, Barb Burg, Arielle Eckstut, Sharon Goldinger, and Michael Levin, for their encouragement and help. I am grateful to Rabbi Aron Mathless, Rabbi Binny Freedman, and Rabbi Elie Weinstock, for sharing their wisdom and knowledge. Thank you to Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, and the Ramaz Yeshiva, for providing the foundation for my love and understanding of Judaism. Ad- ditional thanks to Esther Kustanowitz, for reading the manuscript and for her wonderful editing and contributions. Many thanks to my copy editor, Adam Nadler, whose erudition and style made an enormous difference. Thanks to my friend Bertrand Laurent and to my family, who provided me with a well-rounded education. Many thanks to Hamilton Books, espe- cially Julie E. Kirsch and Nicolette Amstutz for their great help. I am extremely grateful to Marsha Brooks for her expert guidance. And thanks to Bruce Bleecker, for his wisdom and friendship. Dr. Nicholas Gura I want to express my deepest gratitude to my husband, Nicholas, who wel- comed my contributions to both the editing and the cover painting of this book. Additionally, I would like to thank the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, whose talented faculty has been a guide and inspiration, in partic- ular Elizabeth Sayles, Shelley Haven, and Melanie Marder Parks. And a special thanks to Joyce Grossbard, for her wisdom, warmth, and encourage- ment. Catherine Gura vii I Divine Messages: Real or Random? Chapter One The Discovery After 9/11 we all searched for answers. Some demanded government action, others focused on apprehending the evildoers, and many suffered the emo- tional and physical fallout of that terrible day. I, too, sought answers, but by using a method 3,200 years old and deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition. Gematria, most commonly referred to as Jewish numerology, is the tradition of assigning specific, traditionally prescribed numbers to Hebrew letters in order to convert text into a number. This practice allows words and phrases with identical numerical values to be compared. When two phrases share the same numerical value, it reveals a hidden relationship between them that teaches us deeper meanings and associations. For example, the Hebrew word for “soul” (Neshama) has the numerical value of 395, and a phrase from Psalm 46:6: “God is within her” (Elokim B’kirbah) has the same value, revealing that God resides within the soul. A second example: a phrase from the Book of Esther 2:2: “beautiful of appearance” (in Hebrew Tovote Mar- eh) has the numerical value of 669, and a phrase from Leviticus 26:6: “peace on earth” (Shalom B’aretz) has the identical numerical value. Therefore, Gematria reveals the hidden wisdom that “peace on earth” is the true “beauti- ful of appearance.” The earliest reference to Gematria is found in the Book of Genesis Chap- ter 14:14, when Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, is referred to as “318 servants.” The Talmud (the ancient authoritative book of Jewish law) explains that 318 is the Gematria (or numerical value) of the name Eliezer. Gematria is used throughout the Talmud to explain biblical text, and has been used by biblical commentators for over 2,000 years to enhance their interpretations. Others have been fascinated with Gematria, including Sir Isaac Newton, who dedi- cated much time to using it to search for the key to unlock hidden biblical wisdom. He was not successful. 3 4 Chapter 1 I was first introduced to Gematria in the third grade at the Ramaz Yeshiva in New York City. After the Israeli Six-Day War, my seventh-grade Bible teacher, Mr. Rappaport, told the class that the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in the war was 679. He wrote the number on the blackboard and said, “Using Gematria, the Hebrew letters that correspond exactly to 679 can be used to spell the Hebrew word Ateret.” Ateret is defined in the Hebrew dictionary as the “crown or glory of [victory].” Although I didn’t grasp the significance of Mr. Rappaport’s comment that day, many years later I incor- porated his insight into my own, new gematrial technique. The events of 9/11 rekindled my interest in the hidden meaning of num- bers and letters. I wondered if 911 was a random number or if it had any greater significance. Eventually, I discovered that the numbers 9 and 11 are associated with three other tragic and horrific events. According to historical accounts, approximately 2,600 years ago, in 586 B.C.E., on the 9th day of the 11th month of the Jewish calendar (the Ninth of Av), the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Temple was soon rebuilt, but in 70 C.E., also on the 9th day of the 11th month, the Romans destroyed the Second Holy Temple. The numbers 9 and 11 appear again in 1938 Nazi Germany. On Novem- ber 9, the 9th day of the 11th month of our modern calendar, thousands of Jewish stores were looted and destroyed, hundreds of synagogues burned, and over 20,000 Jewish citizens were sent to concentration camps. That day, known as Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), should have been a wake- up call to the world that Nazi Germany was a major threat. These discoveries encouraged me to continue exploring Gematria. It was a very natural fit. I have an undergraduate degree in bioengineering from the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science and a D.D.S. from the New York University College of Dentistry. After graduating from dental school, I worked on Wall Street for over 20 years, trading stock options on the floor of the American Stock Exchange. I am also a lifelong enthusiast of puzzles and games, and an expert in backgammon. Each of these areas of study prepared me for my work with Gematria. Then one night in 2006 my wife showed me page 484 of the book The Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten. It was a brief chapter on Gematria, which I read with great interest. Then she turned on the television and began watch- ing the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. The judge announced the next word, “gematrial,” and continued with the definition: “Of, or pertaining to, the study of Gematria.” My wife and I looked at each other. What was the probability that she would turn on the TV at that exact moment, to that channel, to the word “gematrial,” immediately after I had read the Gematria chapter? It could have been a coincidence, but to me it was a sign that I needed to continue with my work. The Discovery 5 After two more years of intensive research, I devised a new gematrial technique, easily verifiable and reproducible without the use of a computer, that revealed messages of wisdom and warning embedded in Hebrew words and phrases. These revealed messages were both profound and metaphorical, and appeared to answer timeless questions and mysteries such as: Why does the world exist? Who wrote the Old Testament? Is the Bible true? Was Jesus actually a messenger of God? What is the secret to being with God? Is there a conflict between science and the Bible? Why is quantum theory so strange? And what are the minimum requirements for entry into heaven? My first discovery came in 2008, a month before Passover.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gematria.Pdf
    Gematria Gematria is a traditional Jewish system of assigning a numerical value to a each letter forming a word or phrase to uncover hidden or symbolical spiritual meaning. The presumption behind this practice is that the numerical equivalence to words is not coincidental since the world was created through the “Word” of God (John 1:1-4). Each letter holds a sequential value that totals to the sum of a particular word or phrase. The result enhances spiritual understanding and harmony of interrelationships consistent between words, numbers, concepts and ideas. While this system originated with the Greeks centuries before the birth of Christ, the significant contributions of scholar Ivan Panin (documentation provided below) with advancement of technology has caused a growing number of bible believers today to appreciate its profound spiritual implications. “Word-based numerology probably began in the 8th century BCE Mesopotamia; Greeks practised isopsepjoa (letter-based calculation) from the 5th century BCE. Hebrew gematria only arrived in c. 100 BCE, yet soon grew in complexity. Gematria is often used to detect the secret meaning of holy texts. Unsurprisingly, it became a indispensable tool of Jewish mystics (kabbalists) down the ages. 1 God is A Mathematician By Keith Newman The authenticity of the Holy Bible has been attacked at regular intervals by atheists and theologians alike but none have explained away the mathematical seal beneath its surface. It would seem the divine hand has moved to prevent counterfeiting in the pages of the Bible in a similar manner to the line that runs through paper money. Bible numerics appears to be God's watermark of authenticity.
    [Show full text]
  • Demystifying the Number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation: Examples of Ancient Cryptology and the Interpretation of the “666” Conundrum
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Engineering and Information Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive) Sciences 2010 Demystifying the number of the beast in the book of revelation: examples of ancient cryptology and the interpretation of the “666” conundrum M G. Michael University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/infopapers Part of the Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation Michael, M G.: Demystifying the number of the beast in the book of revelation: examples of ancient cryptology and the interpretation of the “666” conundrum 2010. https://ro.uow.edu.au/infopapers/3585 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Demystifying the number of the beast in the book of revelation: examples of ancient cryptology and the interpretation of the “666” conundrum Abstract As the year 2000 came and went, with the suitably forecasted fuse-box of utopian and apocalyptic responses, the question of "666" (Rev 13:18) was once more brought to our attention in different ways. Biblical scholars, for instance, focused again on the interpretation of the notorious conundrum and on the Traditionsgeschichte of Antichrist. For some of those commentators it was a reply to the outpouring of sensationalist publications fuelled by the millennial mania. This paper aims to shed some light on the background, the sources, and the interpretation of the “number of the beast”. It explores the ancient techniques for understanding the conundrum including: gematria, arithmetic, symbolic, and riddle-based solutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Relationship Between Harmonic Series and Gematria
    De harmonische boventonenreeks in relatie tot gematria Relationship between harmonic series and gematria Mathieu Daniël Polak April 2017 This example demonstrates the first sixteen harmonics on the low C. The first four notes of the harmonic series are built from the intervals octave, fifth and fourth. The sum of these intervals (8+5+4) is 17. In Hebrew, the consonants of the alphabet carry numbers. The tetragrammaton (Name of God) Yud, Heh, Vav, heh, carries the numbers 10/5/6/5. In Hebrew, the 0 does not exist. One could read 10/5/6/5 as: 1+5+6+5 = 17 . The octave, fifth and fourth in the harmonic series is followed by thirds. In the example these are numbered 5, 6, and 7. The sum of 17 +3+3+3 = 26 . If the 0 in the tetragrammaton would be counted as well it would lead to 26 . (10+5+6+5= 26 ). The first twelve harmonics show clearness in structure. The intervals become smaller and smaller. After note 12 suddenly a major second appears. There seems to be a separation between the first twelve notes and the following notes. The Hebrew word Badal means separation and has a worth of 36 . If all intervals of the first twelve notes of the harmonic series are counted, the number 36 appears. (8+5+4+3+3+3+2+2+2+2+2= 36 ). 36 is a special number. 3+6=9. In any multiplication of the number 36 we can see the number 9. 2x36=72. 7+2=9. 3x36=108.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseline Methods for Automatic Disambiguation of Abbreviations in Jewish Law Documents
    Baseline Methods for Automatic Disambiguation of Abbreviations in Jewish Law Documents Yaakov HaCohen-Kerner1, Ariel Kass1, Ariel Peretz1 1 Department of Computer Sciences, Jerusalem College of Technology (Machon Lev) 21 Havaad Haleumi St., P.O.B. 16031, 91160 Jerusalem, Israel {kerner, akass, arielp}@jct.ac.il Abstract. In many languages, abbreviations are widely used either in writing or talking. However, abbreviations are likely to be ambiguous. Therefore, there is a need for disambiguation. That is, abbreviations should be expanded correctly. Disambiguation of abbreviations is critical for correct understanding not only for the abbreviations themselves but also for the whole text. Little research has been done concerning disambiguation of abbreviations for documents in English and Latin. Nothing has been done for the Hebrew language. In this ongoing work, we investigate a basic model, which expands abbreviations contained in Jewish Law Documents written in Hebrew. This model has been implemented in a prototype system. Currently, experimental results show that abbreviations are expanded correctly in a rate of almost 60%. 1 Introduction Abbreviations have long been adopted by languages and are widely used either in writing or in talking. However, they are not always defined and in many cases they are ambiguous. Many authors create their own sets of abbreviations. Some abbreviations are specific to certain aspects of a language such as Science, Press (newspapers, television, etc.) or Slang. Correct disambiguation of abbreviations may affect the proper understanding of the whole text. In general, for any given abbreviation this process is composed of the following two main steps: (1) finding all possible extensions and (2) selecting the most correct extension.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 16 the Lexis of the Hasidic Hebrew Tales Reflects the Distinctive
    chapter 16 Lexis The lexis of the Hasidic Hebrew tales reflects the distinctive polyglossic envi- ronment of its authors. Yiddish was their native language and chief vernacular, while they had received intensive training in the reading and recitation of vari- ous biblical and post-biblical forms of written Hebrew from a very early age and employed it as a major vehicle of written composition (see Stampfer 1993 for a detailed discussion of understanding and use of Hebrew in Eastern Europe). Moreover, they possessed at least some familiarity with biblical, Talmudic, and kabbalistic Aramaic texts. Finally, they lived in a Slavic-speaking environment, typically Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian. The ways in which lexical elements from these diverse linguistic sources manifest themselves in the tales will be discussed below. 16.1 Hebrew 16.1.1 Maskilic Hebrew Vocabulary As discussed throughout this volume, there are many instances of linguis- tic overlap between the Hasidic Hebrew tales and contemporaneous Maskilic Hebrew prose fiction. Perhaps one of the most striking of these instances con- cerns the Hasidic Hebrew use of lexical items typically considered to be Mask- ilic Hebrew coinages. These usually consist of compounds and collocations used to describe modern items and concepts lacking earlier Hebrew designa- tions. Examples of these are shown below; the terms in question are all con- ventionally regarded as Maskilic creations (see the references following each lemma for details). (Tavern’ (Even-Shoshan 2003: 171‘ בית מזיגה (tavern’ (Michelsohn 1912: 116‘ בית מזיגה – (to a tavern’ (Breitstein 1914: 58‘ לבית מזיגה – (the tavern’ (Teomim Fraenkel 1911b: 91‘ בית המזיגה – (the tavern’ (Bodek 1866: 40‘ הבית המזיגה – © Lily Kahn, 2015 | doi: 10.1163/9789004281622_017 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported (cc-by-nc 3.0) License.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Using Hebrew Language Tools Syllabus Institute
    Introduction to Using Hebrew Language Tools Syllabus 15 March to 10 May 2016 Whitney Oxford Institute of Grace Grace Immanuel Bible Church Jupiter, Florida I. Course Description and Objectives Jesus came—and will come again—to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matt 5:17). How, then, can we understand Him or His task if we do not know the contents of the Law and the Prophets? The better we understand “whatever was written in earlier times” (Rom 15:4), the more intimately we can know our God and Savior. Indeed, the apostle Paul testified that he stated “nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23). Introduction to Using Hebrew Language Tools seeks to introduce believers to biblical Hebrew and the language tools that facilitate its proper understanding. This introduction seeks to help believers: become acquainted with the Hebrew aleph beth become acquainted with frequently-occurring words in the Hebrew Scriptures become acquainted with the categories and use of Hebrew language tools recognize key terms and abbreviations used in Hebrew language tools better understand the author’s intended meaning better understand the New Testament, since its the foundation is the Old Testament recognize deviant teaching II. Course Requirements Participate in class activities and take a final assessment. 1 WEEK TOPIC 15 Introduction to course
    [Show full text]
  • A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew
    THE MASTER’S SEMINARY A GRAMMAR FOR BIBLICAL HEBREW ttyyrrIbIb.[.[i i William D. Barrick Irvin A. Busenitz Revised Edition 2 Barrick & Busenitz, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew © 2011 Grace Books International Sun Valley, CA BWHEBB, BWHEBL, BWTRANSH [Hebrew]; BWGRKL, BWGRKN, and BWGRKI [Greek] Postscript® Type 1 and TrueTypeT fonts Copyright © 1994–2009 BibleWorks, LLC. All rights reserved. These Biblical Greek and Hebrew fonts are used with permission and are from BibleWorks, software for Biblical exegesis and research. Barrick & Busenitz, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew 3 PREFACE Originally, the authors had composed their own individual grammars during the course of teaching Biblical Hebrew on the seminary level for many years. It was a pleasant surprise to find that each had adhered to the same basic philosophy of teaching Hebrew grammar. There were some areas that had been developed differently, but the general design was harmonious. A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew represents a combining of those two grammars. It is our hope and prayer that the use of this grammar will prove to be a joyful exercise resulting in an understanding of the Hebrew Old Testament. For this revised edition the authors present a totally new and updated vocabulary for the lessons and for the appendixes. Special thanks is offered to Dr. Michael Grisanti, who has read and commented on this grammar as it has been (and is being) developed, and to Scott Bashoor, Brian Rickett, and Bryan Murphy who have taught the course with this textbook for a number of years. Thanks are also due to all those students who have patiently endured (and who are enduring) the process of developing and testing this volume in the classroom.
    [Show full text]
  • Learn-The-Aramaic-Alphabet-Ashuri
    Learn The ARAMAIC Alphabet 'Hebrew' Ashuri Script By Ewan MacLeod, B.Sc. Hons, M.Sc. 2 LEARN THE ARAMAIC ALPHABET – 'HEBREW' ASHURI SCRIPT Ewan MacLeod is the creator of the following websites: JesusSpokeAramaic.com JesusSpokeAramaicBook.com BibleManuscriptSociety.com Copyright © Ewan MacLeod, JesusSpokeAramaic.com, 2015. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into, a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, scanning, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission from the copyright holder. The right of Ewan MacLeod to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the copyright holder's prior consent, in any form, or binding, or cover, other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Jesus Spoke AramaicTM is a Trademark. 3 Table of Contents Introduction To These Lessons.............................................................5 How Difficult Is Aramaic To Learn?........................................................7 Introduction To The Aramaic Alphabet And Scripts.............................11 How To Write The Aramaic Letters....................................................... 19
    [Show full text]
  • Chai Rollers Initiative to Tackle ‘Suicide Epidemic’
    1908 2016 108 years Emery kicks off football season The Texas Gulf Coast’s Jewish Newspaper Since 1908 Page 16 September 1, 2016 - 28 AV 5776 Volume CIX - Number 21 Houston, Texas jhvonline.com $2 Per Copy Houston student takes on administration over anti-Israel incidents By AARON HOWARD | JHV high school level. the effectiveness of student activism at the high What’s also new is that Jewish high school school level. As the fall semester begins on U.S. college students are refusing to be intimidated, even The Jewish Herald-Voice spoke with Terk by campuses, pro-Israel organizations forecast that when high school administrators fail to address phone from Austin, Texas, where he is preparing this year will see new levels of pro-Palestinian acts of bullying, vandalism and offensive conduct to start school at The University of Texas. student initiatives. These initiatives include against Jewish students. everything from resolutions calling for boycott, In November 2015, anti-Israel students at Carnegie incident divestment and sanctions against Israel; to intim- HISD’s Carnegie Vanguard High School covered On Nov. 1, 2015, a student at Carnegie posted idation and posting clearly anti-Semitic messages over Israeli flags during an International Festival at least two messages on social media. One post on social media. Some college campuses have and posted a Twitter message calling for intifada. on Twitter was a cartoon reproduction of a become environments where Jewish students Eliav Terk, then a senior at Carnegie, refused to character with horns and a Star of David lurking feel threatened, particularly if they identify remain silent.
    [Show full text]
  • Machonl'morim
    Machon L’Morim .*9&/- 0&,/ “Each individual has the right to feel that the world is created for his own sake. As a logical consequence of this conception, each child is entitled to be loved and cared for in order that he may have the possibility of developing to his maximum capability.” “Judaism has special esteem for children, considering them the hope for the future and the basis for the perpetuation of the Torah...Children are the vital links in the continuation of the unbroken chain of the Jewish heritage throughout the ages.” Shoshna Matzner-Bekerman in The Jewish Child: Halakhic Perspectives Judaism has traditionally accorded children a place of honor and esteem within the family and the community. Judaism insists parents provide children with love, trust, compassion, and guidance. Early childhood educators participate in the raising of children virtually at the same level as the parents. The Talmud tells us that “one who teaches the child Torah is considered as if he had borne him.” It is apparent that if we want children to actually experience how they are honored and esteemed as individuals in Jewish tradition, we must do more than teach them about the religion. We ourselves must embody the Jewish values that inform our love and respect. We must project these values through our own interactions with them and with each other, allowing them to feel in an immediate way what it is like to participate in a community based on the love God holds for each of us. These are the values that our rituals, holidays, and practices clothe in celebration and participation.
    [Show full text]
  • Weak" Phonetic Change and the Hebrew Sin
    .. WEAK" PHONETIC CHANGE AND THE HEBREW SIN By JOSHUA BLAU Hebrew University of Jerusalem 0. Introduction THIS ARTICLE originally arose out of the author's attempt to restate the current, "conservative" view on the existence of a third unvoiced non­ emphatic sibilant in Hebrew, and, of course, in Proto-Semitic, viz. the Sin, against suggestions raised recently. Yet it soon became clear that the analysis of alleged exceptional sound correspondences of the Hebrew sibilants, claimed by some scholars, has to be based on the examination of the problem of exceptional sound correspondences in the Semitic languages in general, i.e., on what we shall in this paper dub "weak phonetic change." Since, it seems, the notion of "weak phonetic change" and its cautious handling is of great importance not only for the elucida­ tion of the status of the Hebrew s in particular, but for comparative Semitic studies in general, I eventually decided to begin this article with a somewhat long exposition on weak phonetic change, and to deal with the special problem of the Hebrew (and Proto-Semitic) s later. I. "Weak Phonetic Change" As is well known, occasional deviations from regular sound cor­ respondences are well attested in Semitic languages in general and in 67 68 JOSHUA BLAU Hebrew in particular. This gives rise to two problems: a theoretical one, concerning the origins of these deviations, and a practical one, concern­ ing how far they authorize scholars to jump to conclusions and apply ex­ ceptional sound correspondences for the etymological interpretation of difficult words, thus elucidating abstruse passages.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PHIIISTINE SCRIPT and INSCRIPTIONS (Excerpts from the Celtic Connection Revisited, Unpublished Material, 2014) by Michel-Gérald Boutet
    THE PHIIISTINE SCRIPT AND INSCRIPTIONS (Excerpts from The Celtic Connection Revisited, unpublished material, 2014) By Michel-Gérald Boutet The Sea Peoples invasion of Egypt during the XXth dynasty. Detail from the temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habou, Museum of Cairo. Pulasti (Philistine) and Tsakkaras: on Pylon of Medinet Habu. Illustration from The palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustrated by the discoveries at Knossos by Sir Arthur Evans, 1921. THE PHILISTINE SEA-PEOPLE Who were the Philistines? “Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” (The Death of Samson, Judges 16, 23.) Although an early Indo-European presence was felt in the Canaan region after the second millennium B.C.E, the Philistines along with the other Sea Peoples make an abrupt entry into the Egyptian records just at around 1200. The Philistines, purportedly from Bulgaria and Crimea, were of mixed Indo-European nations mainly of Proto-Celtic Danubian, Aegean and Anatolian descent. These Danubians, the Dananoi, or Danauoi in Greek, constituted of a number of undifferentiated Indo-European tribes originally from the Pontic Crimean area of the Black Sea that had settled on the western Anatolian coast and eventually on the island of Cyprus. During the Bronze Age, their metallurgical skills gave them the cutting edge and they were the ones responsible for prompting the Iron Age in the Mediterranean basin. Eventually, the Philistines were to form a powerful military and commercial nation reaching their peak at the end of the first millennium and then lose preeminence by the end of the 7th century BCE only to completely disappear from historical records in the 6th century at the start of the Assyrian wars.
    [Show full text]